Summary
Weingut Fritz Waßmer in Bad Krozingen-Schlatt is one of the success stories of German wine in recent decades. Founded in 1998, career-changer Fritz Waßmer turned his estate within a short time into one of the top addresses for Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) in Baden. On around 40–45 hectares in Markgräflerland, Breisgau and Kaiserstuhl, he makes Burgundian-style red and white wines that regularly earn top scores in German and international wine guides.
History
Fritz Waßmer comes from a family that has farmed in Schlatt for generations, including some viticulture. He came into contact with wine as a child on his parents' farm, but his career initially took him elsewhere. As a career-changer and largely self-taught, he founded his own estate in 1998.
From the start Waßmer focused uncompromisingly on quality and on the Pinot family, above all Pinot Noir. The estate grew quickly and acquired plots in several parts of southern Baden. Alongside wine, the family – like Fritz's brother Martin Waßmer, who runs his own separate estate – still farms asparagus and strawberries.
Location & Terroir
Schlatt lies south of Freiburg in the Markgräflerland, between the Black Forest and the Rhine plain. The climate is among the warmest and sunniest in Germany – ideal conditions for the Pinot varieties.
The estate's strength is the diversity of its sites across three areas: in the Kaiserstuhl lies the Schlossberg Achkarren on volcanic rock, producing powerful, spicy wines. In the Breisgau, Waßmer farms sites such as the Sommerhalde Bombach, the Roter Berg Kenzingen and the Kaiserberg Herbolzheim, and in the Markgräflerland the Schlossberg Staufen. This range of limestone, loess and volcanic soils allows precise wines with a strong sense of origin.
Style & Philosophy
Waßmer's Pinot Noirs take their cue from the great models of Burgundy: low yields, careful hand-picking, ageing in barrique and a clear commitment to site. The result is dense yet elegant reds with fine fruit and structure.
Among the whites, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay take centre stage, often also oak-aged. Unusual for a Baden estate is the cultivation of Syrah, Viognier and Cabernet Sauvignon, with which Waßmer explores the warmth of the Markgräflerland.
Notable Sites & Wines
- Schlossberg Achkarren – Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris from the Kaiserstuhl's volcanic rock
- Sommerhalde Bombach – Breisgau site for elegant Pinots
- Roter Berg Kenzingen and Kaiserberg Herbolzheim – Breisgau sites with a distinctive profile
- Schlossberg Staufen – Markgräflerland site near the home estate
- Réserve line – oak-aged Pinots as an entry into the Waßmer style
Awards
The estate has for years been among Germany's highest-rated Pinot producers, earning top marks from Gault&Millau, Vinum, Feinschmecker and Eichelmann. Internationally, one of its Pinot Noirs caused a stir at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 with 97 points – as one of the best German Pinot Noirs in the competition.
